Lyr. Add: El Corrido de Elena
New Mexico, Coll. J. D. Robb

1
Elena querida mía,
y una cosa has de escuchar,
unas dos o tres palabras
que contigo quiero hablar.
2
Y tú, Benito, ¿Qué tienes
que vienes tan enojado?
Mira no te andes creyendo
de cuentos que te han contado.
3
Elena, no digas eso,
ni lo vuelvas a decir,
que el día que encuentre a Fernando
ese día van a morir
4
En ese Plan de Barrancas
sin saber cómo ni cuándo,
allí; fué donde encontró
don Benito a don Fernando.
5
Por el honor que usted tiene [First two lines absent in MS]
y el honor que usted goza,
mira no te andes creyendo
que ni conozco a tu esposa.
6
Del más alto firmamento
yo vi bajar una estrella,
mire no se ande rejando,
un lunes lo hallé con ella.
7
Echó mano a su Wincheste, [mosquete in MS]
calibre cincuenta y seis, [tres in MS
le dió los cinco balazos
a don Fernando el Francés.
8
*Le quitó le querolina [pelorina (pelerina) in MS]
se puso la ropa de él
y se fué para la casa
a matar a la mujer.
9
Ya se agarran de la mano
y se fueron para el jardín;
al abrir la media puerta
se les apagó el candil
10
Elena, muy asustada,
se agachaba y lo miraba
y don Benito tan serio,
que ni siquiera la hablaba.
11
Pero, Fernando, ¿qué tienes
que nunca venías así?
¿Tienes amores en Francia
o quieres a otra más que a mí?
12
No tengo amores en Francia,
ni quiero a otra más que a tí
no soy más que te marido
que me hallo al lado de ti.
13
Perdóname, esposo mío
perdóname por piedad,
que no soy la primer mujer
que ha caído en fragilidad.
14
Perdóname, esposo mío
perdona mi desventura,
mira, no lo hagas por mí,
hazlo por mis dos criaturas.
15
De mí no alcanzas perdón,
de mí no alcanzas ventura,
que te perdone al francés,
que gozó de tu hermosura.
16
Ahi te encargo a mis chiquitos
Se les llevas a mis padres,
si te preguntan por mí,
les dirás que tú no sabes.
17
A mis hermanas les dices
que pongan luto por mí
y a las mujeres casadas
que pongan ejemplo en mí.
18
Le quitó la crinolina
y la dejó en camisón,
se le hincaba de rodillas,
pero no alcanzó perdón.
19
Le quitó la crinolina
y la dejó en camisón,
le dió los cinco balazos
en el mero corazón.
20
Vuela, vuela, palomita,
dale fuerza a tu volido,
anda a ver cómo le fué
a Elena con su marido
21
Vuela, vuela, palomita,
párate en aquella higuera,
aquí sa acaban cantando
los versitos de la Elena.

TRANSLATION from MS.

Elena, my dear,
There is one thing you must hear,
One, two or three words
That I want to speak to you.
2
And you, Benito? what is wrong,
That you come here so angry?
Take care before you believe
The tales that they have told you.
3
Elena, do not say that,
Nor try to change my mind,
For the day that I meet Fernando,
That day you both shall die.
4
In the plain of Barranca,
Without knowing when or where
They should meet,
Don Benito encountered Don Fernando.
5
Pardon me, Don Benito,
......................
Take care before you believe
That I have wronged you with your wife.
6
From the highest firmament
I saw a star falling,
Take care lest you destroy
The moon that is found with it.
7
Laying hands on his musket
Of the calibre of thirty-three
He fired the five bullets
Into Don Fernando, the Frenchman.
8
*He took off his cape, [pélerine (French)]
He put on Don Fernando's clothes
And he returned then to his house
To kill his wife.
9
But Benito, what is the matter
That now you come in this manner?
Do you have sweethearts in France
That you love more than me?
10
I have no sweethearts in France
Nor do I love anyone more than you,
I am only your husband
Who finds myself here beside you.
11
They took each other by the hand
And went out into the garden,
When she opened the middle door
The candle went out.
12
Elena, very excited
Stooped and regarded him
And Don Benito was very grave
And spoke not a word.
13
Pardon me, my husband,
Pardon me for the love of God,
For I am not the first wife
Who has fallen in her weakness.
14
Pardon me, my husband,
Pardon my misdeed.
Look, I do not beg mercy for my own sake,
I beg mercy for the sake of my two babies.
15
You shall have no pardon from me
From me you shall get no mercy;
Let the Frenchman pardon you
Who rejoiced in your beauty.
16
Alas! Then I charge you with my children,
That you take them to my relatives,
If they ask you about me,
Tell them that you know nothing.
17
Tell my sisters
To go into mourning for me
And tell all married women
To take a lesson from me.
18
He stripped off her gown of crinoline,
He stripped off her underclothes,
She sank to her knees before him
But no pardon she received.
19
He stripped of her gown of crinoline,
He left her in her shift.
He fired all five bullets
Right into her heart.
20
Fly, fly, little dove,
Fly with all your strength;
Go and see how it was
With Elena and her husband.
21
Fly, fly, little dove.
Perch in that fig tree.
Here concludes the singing
Of the verses of Elena.

Collected in Chimayó, New Mexico, from the singing of the Ortega family, 1946.

The word pelerina, verse 8, comes from the French pélerine, a cape such as the Zouaves wore.

Many thanks to Monique for this clarification; the verse now makes sense.

Above material from the publication and also typescript MS. John Donald Robb, Hispanic Folk Songs of New Mexico, Univ. New Mexico Press, Fine Arts No. 1, pp. 44-49, with musical score; MS. online, ZIM CSWR Robb MU 7, Index number 78 [misprinted 89]. The archive contains audio, and a brief musical score. The typewriter was worn; accents added by hand, not all accurately. Verse order slightly changed in the printed copy.

In the publication, Robb provided a poetic translation, which will be provided later

New Mexico's Digital Collections.
http://econtent.unm.edu

The online material is voluminous, and is (for me) difficult to use.